Leonidas Kavakos

Leonidas Kavakos is recognized world­wide as a violinist and artist of rare quality, acclaimed for his matchless technique, captivating artistry, superb musicianship, and the integrity of his playing. He works regularly with the world’s greatest orchestras and conductors and appears in recital at the premier concert halls and festivals. In recent years, Kavakos has also built a strong profile as a conductor, working with such orchestras as the New York Phil­har­monic, Minnesota Orchestra, Houston Symphony, Dallas Symphony, Vienna Sym­phony, Israel Philharmonic, Orchestre Phil­harmonique de Radio France, Sinfonie­orchester des Bayerischen Rundfunk, and Filar­monica della Scala.

Highlights of the 2024–25 season in North America include his current recital tour performing Bach’s complete Sonatas and Partitas, and recitals with Daniil Trifonov. Kavakos makes his debut in Mexico with the Orquesta Filarmónica de la UNAM; and appears as guest soloist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Palm Beach Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, and Dallas Symphony, as well as play-conducts with the New World Symphony. Elsewhere, he takes his ApollΩn Ensemble on tour to Asia with concerts in Macau, Daegu, Tokyo, and Taipei. Kavakos returns to the Filarmonica della Scala, Sinfonie­orchester des Bayerischen Rundfunk, NDR Hamburg, DSO Berlin, Munich Philharmonic, Vienna Symphony, Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Danish National Sym­phony, Swedish Radio Symphony, and conducts the Israel Philharmonic. He continues his partnership with Emanuel Ax and Yo-Yo Ma in trio concerts at major European venues, as well as performs in recital across Spain and Italy, as well as in London. In 2025, Kavakos will become the new Artistic Director of the classical music festival of the Lotte Concert Hall in Seoul, Korea.

Kavakos is an exclusive recording artist with Sony Classics. Releases have included Bach: Sei Solo; the Beethoven Violin Concerto, which he conducted and played with the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunk; and the re-release of his 2007 recording of the complete Beethoven Sona­tas with Enrico Pace, for which he was named ECHO Klassik Instrumentalist of the Year. In 2022, Kavakos released Beethoven for Three: Symphonies Nos. 2 and 5 arranged for trio, with Emanuel Ax and Yo-Yo Ma. The second album from this series included Symphony No. 6 (Pastoral) and was released in November 2022, with further recordings planned in the coming years. With his chamber group the ApollΩn Ensemble, Kavakos recently released Bach: Violin Concertos to critical acclaim. In 2014, Kavakos was named Gramophone Artist of the Year.

Born and raised in a musical family in Athens, Greece, Leonidas Kavakos curates an annual violin and chamber music master class in that city, which attracts violinists and ensembles from all over the world. In 2022, he was elected by the Academy of Athens as a member of the Chair of Music in the Second Class of Letters and Fine Arts for his services to music.

Kavakos plays the “Willemotte” Stradivarius violin of 1734.

Official Website: www.leonidaskavakos.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/lkavakos

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